Christmas and a unique look at the Nativity

One can feel an excitement of anticipation in the air as Christmas approaches. We naturally hope it is a time that knits families and friends and heals rifts and differences. There are many who scoff and say it is all crass commercialism and once the season is over people will go back to the way they were. That is o.k. because some won’t. Some will enjoy the goodwill and maybe it will change them . . . it would be nice to think so.

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I always enjoyed our family time, especially when the kids were young, the frantic tearing open of gifts and the expectant looks on their faces, while I put another never-to-be worn tie on the rack. Of course Christmas is much more than that. There is a profound depth which disappears under the tinsel and the ribbons. It is of course the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Son of God who came to bring us love and redemption. Nowadays that is not even considered, we have come so far in our politically-correct times when we feel we are offending someone if we say merry Christmas. Who needs Jesus? We all do.

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For a different look at the story of Christmas you might like to watch a very unique 4-part series, JOURNEY TO CHRISTMAS, which will begin airing on Crossroads Television (CTS) on December 3rd. The various television stations and time zones can be found at this link ctstv.com and more information here journeytochristmas.com. For those in the USA you can purchase the series from Tyndale Publishers in the USA or from the Journey to Christmas website listed above. The subject is a thoughtful, emotional adventure that brings the Nativity story alive for today's audience.  
Beautifully filmed in high definition, it follows five diverse seekers (people like you and me) as they travel in a group from Canada for the first time to Israel in search of the true meaning of Christmas, in fact following the route Joseph and Mary took through the rugged countryside to Bethlehem. On the way they see the of the unfolding story of the Nativity, where it happened, riding on camels at times, baking bread as it was and still is made, sleeping out in the desert as Joseph and Mary must have done on their original journey. The series is given remarkable depth as it features Nazareth-born Biblical scholar and guide, Nizar Shaheen, along with some of the world's leading experts, including New Testament professor Dr. Craig Evans, Dead Sea Scroll scholar, Dr. Stephen Pfann, expert on 1st Century Jewish life - Professor Claire Pfann, Astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross, and well-known Historian, Dr. Paul Maier. These scholars explain the actual meaning of what to most people are just symbolic instances but is irrefutable evidence that the nativity is as real as when it happened 2,000 years ago. Don’t miss this unique look at the Nativity. I guarantee you will enjoy the series. And by the way, a merry Christmas to you! Michael is a freelance writer in Toronto.

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